Illuminated sign



June 16, 1942. 1'. TAAFFE l 2,286,588

ILLUMINATED SIGN Filed March 13, 1959 Iglu@ INVENTOR, THOMAS TA A FFE ATTORNEYZ Patented June 16, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ILLUMlNATED SIGN Thomas Taaffe, Los Angeles, Ca`1if.,.assig`nor of one-half to Hal R. Blair; Rosalie Taae executrix of said Thomas Taaie, deceased Application March 1s, 1939,v seria1fNo.l261,565

(Cl. 40-130l 6 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in illuminated signs.

The object of my invention is to provide an advertising sign of the class set forth producing a brilliant and scintillant background attractive to the sight and upon which the sign proper is shown and relieved in strong and striking contrast.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a translucent refraction-plate forming the ground against which the sign is displayed and formed with a multiplicity of closely arranged lens elements of relatively small diameters, together with a reector-sheet mounted to the rear thereof in adjacent parallel relation and formed over its entire surface with angularly arranged facets adapted to intercept and reect the light cast thereupon to penetrate said refraction-plate to appear to the observer as a myriad of brilliant points of light.

Still further objects of the invention relate to simple and practicable means for moving the reflector-sheet intermittently to animate the light seen through the refraction-plate and cause the same to sparkle, and to novel means for illuminating the sign.

Other objects and advantages residing in my invention, and objects relating to various details and arrangements of parts thereof, will be readily apparent in the course of the detailed description to follow.

The accompanying drawing illustrates by way of example representative forms of my invention, in which:

Figure l is a perspective View of an illuminated sign embodying my invention employing luminous gas-filled tubes.

Fig. 2 is a view in rear elevation of the .sign with the rear cover-plate removed showing the operative mechanism employed with a sign illuminated by said tubes.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary` perspective view of a modified form of the reflector-sheet together with the solenoid-armature attached thereto.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary plan view of said reector-sheet, drawn lupon an enlarged scale.

Fig. 5 is a view in cross section taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a view in front elevation of a modified form of the sign.

Fig. 7 is a view in rear elevation, partly broken away, of the sign illustrated in Fig. 6, and with the rear cover-plate removed.

Referring to said views, wherein similar parts are designated by similar reference characters in the several viewsthe reference numeral I0 indicates the bottom `wall of the sign-casing supported upon short rubber feet I I, and having end walls I2, I2, top wall I3, and front wall I4 enclosing a chamber I5. Said casing may be of parallelepiped Yform or may have its front vertical corners I6 rounded, as shown, for more attractive design. The rear wall of the casing is open excepting for turnedA edges Il of the adjoining walls and is closed by a removable coverplate I8 secured by screws 20, as seen in Fig. 5.

The front wall I4 of the casing is provided with an opening I9 of oblong conguration having its major axis extending horizontally or longitudinally of the casing and which is closed by a glass plate 2I secured against the front wall by clips 22 at top and bottom. Said plate is formed upon one, vpreferably its outer, side with an all-over pattern of spherical integrally molded lenses 23 adapted to refract the light issuing, therethrough from within the casing or from outside sources.

Within the casing immediately to the rear of the refraction-plate and spaced in relatively close proximity thereto a sheet-metal reilectorsheet 25 is suspended in parallel relation. Said reiiector has a highly polished outer surface formed with an al1-over pattern of pyramidal nodes 26 indented from the back of the sheet. Thus each node bears three or four` light lightdirecting facets 2l upon its sides to receive and divert-the light received thereon upon the refraction-plate in innumerable rays. The reflective surface of the sheet may be coated with an anilinedye of a desired tint to reiiect a correspondingly colored light upon the plate 2I in contrast to the color g of the exterior sign-chai'- acters, as will be understood hereinafter.

Flat springs 28 are fixedly secured at their upper ends to brackets 29 attached to the top wall I3 and extend vertically downward in parallel where at their lower ends they are secured to clips 30 extending from the respective ends of the sheet 25. Said springs are disposed with their flat sides facing the ends of the casing whereby the sheetmay swing 'freely in its parallel relation to the plate 2| when set in motion.

To actuate the reflector-sheet I have provided a solenoid magnet of which the armature 3I is secured to the sheet 25, see Fig. 3, and is directed centrally of a magnetic-coil 32 which may be intermittently energized by any suitable make and break circuit-controlling device. I have shown an electric-lamp socket 33 receiving current through a cable 35 and in which a asher device 36 of well-known construction. is mounted. Electric circuit wires 3'| and 38 extend from the flasher to said solenoid to energize the coil and attract the armature 3| intermittently and thus give the reflector-sheet a continuous series of intermittent impulses that maintain it in motion.

The illumination of the sign may be accomplished from external sources, such as is shown in Fig. 1, wherein a neon gas-filled tube 40 is bent to form sign-letters 4l in a well-known manner and disposed symmetrically in spaced relation before the refraction-plate 2|. In such form the light emitted from the glowing tube will be transmitted through the plate 2| upon the reflector-sheet and reflected back to illuminate the plate with a lively, changing and sparkling effect largely caused by the light-refraction effected in both transmissions through the lenses 23 as well as through the breaking up of the light rays by the facets 21 and the motion of the reflector.

In Fig. 6 I have shown sign-letters 42 applied or painted in opaque colors upon the outer surface of the glass-plate 2 I The remainder of the plate is translucent and is brilliantly illuminated from a source of light located within the casing. It will of course be understood that the signletters may be formed on the refraction-plate by painting the ground around them in opaque colors to form the letters in outline in clear glass. The light source may be of any suitable type that will direct the light both upon the refraction-plate 2| and upon the reflector-sheet 25m such as a neon-tube 43 extending in a parallelogram about the outer margin of the reflector-sheet and between said sheet and the plate 2 I.` so that its light will fall upon both.

Another form of illumination is shown in Fig. 7 wherein an incandescent lamp 45 of the elongated show-case type is mounted in a socket 45 and extends longitudinally` of the casing at top or bottom of the reflector-sheet or both and thus sheds its light upon both reflector and refractionplate.

In the use of neon gas tubes external transformers may be utilized to step up the voltage il necessary in their operation in excess of that received over the usual city lighting circuits, or, as shown, the transformer 4'| may be included within the casing and receive its current from the socket 33 through wires 4B, while the highervoltage current is conveyed to and from the tubes 40 and 43 over circuit wires 50.

In Fig. 3 I have shown a modified form of the reflector-sheet 25 having parallel corrugations of rounded form Vextending vertically of the sheet and serving to reflect the light rays cast thereon in various directions and in sweeping lines or waves across the refraction-plate 2| thus causing the light observed through the plate to sparkle as heretofore described.

It will be apparent that an extremely brilliant and attractive sign may be produced by following out either plan of construction described, the variance therebetween being mainly in the source of light desired. Such eye attracting effects are largely produced through the provision of the reflector-sheet whose broken surface in close and moving juxtaposition to the refraction-plate 2| redirects substantially all light rays impinging thereon forwardly upon said plate to strongly illuminate the same whether such light originates from the external sign-tubes 43 or from internal light sources, such as the neon tubes 43 or lamps 45, both of which are arranged to cast the major eil) portion of their light rays upon the reflectorsheet.

Having described my claim is:

l. An illuminated sign, consisting of a casing, a translucent plate in the front wall of said casing having one side thereof formed with light refracting elements, a reflector-sheet suspended for vibratory movements in parallel relation and in near proximity to said plate and formed with light-reflecting facets over its outer surface, means to actuate said sheet, and a luminous gas-filled tube formed in sign-characters positioned externally of said plate and arranged to cast light rays through said plate and upon said sheet.

2. An illuminated sign, consisting of a casing, a translucent plate in the front wall of said casing having one surface comprised of light-refracting elements and having opaque portions delineating sign characters, a reflector-sheet suspended in close parallel relation to said plate and formed with its proximate surface in light-reflecting facets, a light-source disposed to cast light rays upon said sheet and upon said plate, and means to actuate said sheet in non-rotary vibratory motion.

3. An illuminated sign, consisting of a casing, a refraction-plate mounted in a wall of said casing formed with a multiplicity of integral lens elements over one of its surfaces, a reflectorsheet suspended for vibratory motion in parallel relation to said plate within the casing and formed over its forward surface with a multiplicity of nodes having light-reflecting facets upon their sides, and 4means to illuminate said plate and said sheet.

4. A sign of the character described having: a forward refraction-plate forming a multiplicity of elements to refract light transmitted through the plate; a movable reflector sheet spaced to the rear of said refraction-plate, said sheet having an uneven light-reflecting surface; and means to vibrate said reflector sheet laterally at an amplitude and frequency to cause the lighttransmitting area of said refraction-plate to appear as a sparkling Vmyriad of brilliant lights.

5. A sign of the character described having: a forward refraction-plate forming a multiplicity of elements to refract light transmitted through the plate; a movable reflector sheet spaced to the rear of saidrefraction-plate, said sheet having an uneven light-reflecting surface; means to continually move said reflector sheet in a vibratory invention, what I manner relative to said plate; illuminating means positioned intermediate the planes of said plate and sheet; and means masking forwardly radiating light from said illuminating means to prevent unreflected light from passing directly forward from said illuminating means through said refraction-plate.

6. A sign of the character described having: a forward wall, a portion of said wall being light transmissive and a surrounding portion of said wall being opaque; a plurality of refraction elements distributed over said light transmissive portion of said wall; a movable reflector sheet spaced to the rear of said light transmissive portion of the wall, said sheet having an uneven light-reflecting surface; means to continually move said reflector sheet in a vibratory manner relative to said wall; and illuminating means positioned intermediate said sheet and said wall directly behind said opaque portion of the wall.

. THOMAS `TAAFFE. 

